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OurSay on Saturday Magazine, JOY 94.9 - Patrick Gilligan
Sammi Whitehead and Macca bring OurSay’s Patrick Gilligan back on Saturday Magazine to chat about the past week in politics. This week they talk about American politics, same sex marriage and the budget.
Listen to the interview here:
Saturday Magazine - May 19, 2012.mp3
OurSay segment from 23:10
Please note that OurSay is a non-partisan organisation. Views expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee not of the organisation itself.
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Getting some answers
The 2012 ACTU conference is now underway. The theme of this event is ‘Secure Jobs. Better Future’, a campaign launched by the ACTU to tackle the question of work casualisation in Australia.
To deepen the level of engagement with the community, the ACTU teamed up with OurSay (and its nearly twelve thousand users) to crowd-source questions on the current state of working life in the Australian economy and what role unions should have in a 21st-century Australia.
You asked 50 questions. Over 800 of you voted. And now you will get answers.
OurSay’s three most popular user questions are being answered by ACTU President Ged Kearney and ACTU Youth Committee Chair Josh Peak at the conference from the 15-17th May.
But what motivated these users to ask their questions?
The forum’s most popular question, with 156 votes, was asked by David Haines.
“I’m a student at the University of Melbourne, majoring in economics, and committee member and writer for the Economics Student Society of Australia – a student driven organisation which aims to explore economic concepts and events in a simple and accessible way, and provide an online forum for discussion and debate.”
David wanted to know if the ACTU would support transforming uncompetitive companies into new industries.
With only 4 votes less, Ayeesha Cain came in at second place. She wanted to ask the ACTU what we could do about promoting gender equality in the workplace.
“I’m a third year Arts student at Melbourne University majoring in International Relations and Media and Communications. I grew up in a single income household in Melbourne’s West. I am the Education (Public Affairs) officer for the Melbourne Uni student union and I also work casually at Woolworths.”
Richard Walker, from Sydney, reached 3rd place with his question about how we can get refugees into the Australian workforce.
“I work at a refugee mental health service and I’ve seen first hand the incredible contribution that refugees can make to our society.”
Their stories remind us that the public policies of big companies and governments can have a real impact on the lives of individuals.
OurSay is excited to hear what our decision makers have to say in response to user questions. Keep your eyes peeled for the video that will be posted on the website shortly.
By Christopher Weinberg and Amelia Kemister for OurSay.org
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Getting your share of the grease
By Denis Moriarty
Group Managing Director, Our Community
“Community” is one of those words that suffers from the “Woe be to you when all men praise you” syndrome.
Though former British MP Margaret Thatcher once famously denied the very existence of community (well, she said “society”, but I think that’s what she meant), these days pretty much everyone is on the record as being in favour.
Social commentators mourn the loss of community, true believers like us here at Our Community want to build capacity in the community, politicians promise to listen to the views of the community.
That’s all well and good, but how can we ensure that those are not just words?
How can we make sure that the voice of the community is not lost in the design and implementation of government policy?
At the upcoming Communities in Control Conference, we’re calling a panel together to try and give us all some pointers on how to ensure those voices are indeed listened to.
So that we don’t just get more of the party line, the panel will be made up of ex or exiting politicians, leaving them free to bring up the ideas that might be shouted down in the party room or sanitised by the spin doctors.
The panel includes world-renowned gadfly and local government councillor Stephen Mayne, the former Victorian Deputy Premier, Professor John Thwaites, and former Howard Government minister Fran Bailey – it’s an eminent lineup and one that should be able to whap the tar out of the issues.
They’ll be turning their minds to question posed by an even more independent source – you – on questions surrounding the notion of communities in control.
Because it’s our belief (and it’s one that’s backed by evidence) that any community-building policy that doesn’t authentically build in community views is destined to failure.
Put simply, for communities to survive and thrive, they must be in charge of their own destinies.
Go online at oursay.org and add your voice. You can pose a question of your own, and vote for the best of the questions posed by others.
The questions that get the most votes over the next fortnight will go up to the Communities in Control panel, and a fortnight later, the ones that win the final count will be sent to the relevant local, state and/or federal government minister or agency with a request for a formal response.
So: formal and informal, specific and widely-based, political and sociological, local, state, and federal, what do you need to know so that you can move your cause on?
Because that’s the bit of the puzzle that we really need to get sorted.
The Australian community sector isn’t short of prescriptions to fix the problems it faces. We’ve all got ideas about what needs to be done – we just need more help in getting those ideas adopted.
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The Third Sector: A Summary
Article by Livia Albeck-Ripka
DESPITE KONY 2012 bolstering the cynic’s case and scarring the believer, it is fair to assume that good intention and change underscore the actions of at least most charities, cultural groups and activists.
Yet red-tape is often a hurdle between passion and outcome, with the enormous challenges facing non-government organisations (NGOs)* continuing to grow, despite their critical role in Australian society. Between funding causes and managing relationships with the public, business and governments, NGOs are increasingly squeezed for time and resources.
With over 65 per cent of Australians belonging to a community group, their impact on Australia’s health is being increasingly recognised. Over the past 30 years, accumulating evidence shows that the well-being of individuals and populations depends on their bonds with the organisations that shape society. Research indicates that involvement is even more meaningful and effective when groups are empowered to set their own priorities and agendas.
Australia’s 600,000 community groups range from book clubs and animal welfare societies to large organisations like the Brotherhood of St Laurence or Mission Australia (who hold the power to influence policy). The unique relationship that NGOs foster with the public means they become advocates and mobilizers - driving support and voluntary contribution where governments cannot.
On a global scale, strong links with community groups and civil society organisations in developing countries means NGOs can play a role in regions where government-to-government aid is not possible.
Particularly active in areas of health, education, the environment and social justice, NGOs promote awareness, in the general public and in the corporate world, of issues that are not always on the agenda of big business. These groups are a practical means of generating social capital and community networks, as well as a manifestation of an active and vibrant democracy.
However NGOs have not always enjoyed a smooth relationship with the Australian Government, particularly under ex-PM John Howard. Over the years these groups have fallen under scrutiny for their lack of accountability and the way that money is spent.
In 2000, public perception of NGOs shifted when the Australian Bureau of Statistics identified and reported on the not-for-profit sector’s contributions. When Rudd took the reigns in 2007, recognition of the ‘third sector’ was reinforced by then Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard highlighting the crucial role NGOs had to play in Australian society.
Last year, PM Julia Gillard formally recognised the $50 billion dollar not-for-profit sector with the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Taskforce, charged with setting up a commission whose aim would be to elevate NGOs alongside government and business. Reforms taking place include improvements in the areas of social inclusion, tax reform, and changes to regulatory and administrative requirements.
Meanwhile, Minister for Health and Ageing and Social Inclusion, Mark Butler, has been seeking partners for the National Compact: “a high-level, aspiration-based agreement setting out how government and the sector want to work together in new and better ways to improve the lives of Australians”. Sworn in last December, Butler said the government recognised the invaluable role that not-for-profit organisations play in enriching Australian communities.
“This partnership will ensure that we work together to sustain a strong, productive and innovative sector which is essential in supporting our society, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged,” he said.
On the legal front, the Australian Tax Office has released a revised paper on proposed changes to tax law for charities with overseas connections.
While the last few years have seen changes for the non-government sector, many groups remain under-resourced and vulnerable. But an antidote exists in Our Community (OC), a social enterprise set up nearly ten years ago by investors who wanted to connect individuals, communities, business and government.
OC’s 2003 opening ‘manifesto’ declares the need for an agenda that places communities in control by valuing and reinforcing their decisions.
“For communities to survive and thrive,” asserts the paper, “they must be in charge of their own destinies.”
Executive director at OC, Kathy Richardson, defines this as a “bottom-up” approach.
“It seems logical that people should be in control of their own lives and solutions,” she says.
OC’s three-pronged method consists in: practical support to assist NGOs in setting their own priorities, permitting NGOs to design their own approaches and fostering the birth and implementation of solutions. OC helps NGOs find funds, boards, members and volunteers. In addition to making products and services available to small groups either for free or at a subsidized cost, they serve as an independent voice to speak out about the needs of community organisations.
“For one organisation it might be servicing clients, for others it will be raising money, for others it would be about reporting requirements – there would be a different answer for every organisation you asked,” explains Richardson.
The bane of any NGOs existence, however, is funding - a challenge aided by OC’s grant assistance program and Give Now, a free online donation service available to every group.
While under-the-radar community groups can contribute most significantly to empowering individuals and communities because of their strong foundations and meaningful connections, they are often the least adept at understanding government requirements, accreditation processes, grant applications and public liability. An increasing demand for transparency and accountability (particularly in relation to accounting for donation and grants) places pressure on these groups to provide evidence for their social capital.
Meanwhile, changing technology has spurred a barrage of associated problems like data security and managing social media outlets like Facebook©, Twitter© and wordpress©. Understanding effectiveness, reach and legality involved with these forms of marketing are especially difficult for grassroots movements without sufficient expertise.
While these practicalities serve as major hurdles, NGOs dissolve without motivation. The Communities in Control forum, now in its 10th and final year, was set up by Our Community to provide groups with sustenance and inspiration.
“While it is true that it is representatives of not-for-profit organisations who will mostly be attending, the conference is not so much about their own challenges or survival as the role they play in building and healing communities and the people within them,” explains Richardson.
“The thing that people tell us they value most about coming to Communities in Control is the chance they get to have a breather, stand back from the day-to-day demands of their work, and reflect on what they’re doing – and why,” she says.
At the first Communities in Control conference* epidemiologist Leonard Syme explored how the effectiveness of the public health model depended entirely on the way it interacted with communities.
“Our only hope is to develop better strategies for preventing disease and promoting health and not simply waiting to fix problems after they occur. And to do that, we will have to work with the community as an empowered partner,” he said.
OC engages advocates like Syme to remind NGOs of their significance and to alert partners and government to their value and potential. Although the issue hasn’t received much attention in the mainstream media recently, this may soon change in light of the upcoming conference and OurSay forum this month - which will give you the power to help shift the public policy agenda.
From May 15, pose and vote for questions on OurSay which you want answered by a panel of key players, before they are put to the relevant local, state or federal government.
More information can be found at www.ourcommunity.com.au.
This piece was commissioned by OurSay.org.
*The terms NGO, community group, not-for-profit sector, third sector, nonprofit sector and social sector are used interchangeably in this article.
* Communities in Control 2003 was convened by Our Community and Catholic Social Services.
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OurSay on Saturday Magazine, JOY 94.9 - Chris Weinberg
Christopher Weinberg catches up with Macca on OurSay’s recent work. This week also focuses on the American Presidential campaign.
Listen to the interview here:
Saturday Magazine - May 5, 2012.mp3
OurSay segment from 27:20
Please note that OurSay is a non-partisan organisation. Views expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee not of the organisation itself.
